The president of one of the nation's oldest gun manufacturers closed down his Connecticut factory Thursday morning and bused 400 of his workers to the state Capitol so they could personally urge lawmakers not to pass gun control legislation that they say could risk their livelihoods.
Dennis Veilleux, president of the Hartford-based Colt's Manufacturing Co., said even though he has spoken with legislators and Gov. Dannel P. Malloy's staff about his trepidations several times, he believes they don't truly understand the financial ramifications of the legislation being proposed in the wake of the deadly Dec. 14 massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown.
Colt has been manufacturing firearms in the State of Connecticut for 175 years. That may be coming to an end.
Veilleux said gun customers are well-connected and know what is happening in different states in terms of gun control efforts.
"Our customers don't want to support the state of New York. So our customers aren't going to want to support the state of Connecticut," he said. "And our association is so strong with the state of Connecticut, that it's inevitable that it's going to begin to erode."
Pushback is a bitch.
15 comments:
I'm in Connecticut and Colt, Stag and Mossberg are now all bringing pressure to bear on the legislature. Many of those jobs are union jobs and the workers probably mostly Democrats. Malloy has publicly said that he doesn't care if they go, but has been holding back-channel meetings with the manufacturers to try to keep them in the state. This tells me he is in fact scared sh_tless. But, if he really doesn't care, all of his fellow Dem legislators damn well better, because ALL job losses and revenue shortfalls resulting from their legislation will be tied to their Party like an old style ball and chain. They've have also been told point blank by testifying members of the public, that WE ARE VERY AWAKE AND MOTIVATED voters now.
Tell Colt to relocate in West Virginia; we need the work!
LA - we gonna keep up the pressure and let them know there is a cost to their BS.
WoFat - too many people are complacent. The dems are messing with union jobs now and that is a different story.
Gorges - from your lips to Colt's ears.
Many counties of Tennessee offer the following:
Industrial park acreage, ready to go, with roads/sewers/electric/gas already laid in.
Ready access to interstate, highway, and rail transport.
Low cost of living, including real estate compared to the Northeast.
NO state income tax.
Overwhelmingly conservative legislature, both houses.
Businessman governor.
Gun-friendly.
Workforce ready to go.
Physical beauty, lovely climate (except in mid-summer).
Great medical system.
Private and public universities.
Two GOP pro-business senators, mostly GOP House delegation.
Ya'll come see us! Nissan and VW have thrived here, and more on the way.
The best way to deal with Blue States is simply to allow them to destroy themselves, and welcome their industries to friendlier climes.
In other words, starve them out. They'll even cooperate in the process.
OldSouth - sounds like a plan.
I don't see how they can't leave! All it would take would be one mistake and the plant and headquarters could end up raided state police forces of typical or bureaucratic sorts. Seriously. They would be jeopardizing their employees and the privacy of civilian customers to hostile state employees and probably federal inquisitors. As well, if they try to ban sales to anti-gun states, being in one puts them at a serious threat to simply having laws written which don't allow them to not sell.
You know what I would like to see? Gun manufacturers refusing to serve the military anything that civilians can't obtain. Yes, seriously. If push comes to shove and they are looking to be crushed by the state, might as well go all in and be absolutists about the 2nd amendment.
Doom - The firearms/ammunition industries need to refuse to honor all state and federal government contracts until each and every one of them pass laws protecting the 2nd Amendment.
I live in Connecticut and I believe that Colt has seen a lot in the last 175 years and they are still in CT so I don't think they will close their doors or pack up in move.
Rick - Hope they don't. There's a rich tradition of gun making in New England. It would be a shame to lose any of it.
Sig, it is the incredible stupidity of the situation. "Newtown parents who support assault weapons bans, restrictions on magazines."
I'm here to tell them someone could walk in there with one 6 shot revolver and do the same thing. Who's going to stop the man, some female teacher?
I read a 'news' item a couple days ago quoting the superintendent of the school, a female, saying the tragedy could maybe have been prevented if they had some 'protective film' on the windows of the doors that the kid broke to get in.
What?! Like the protective film could have stopped bullets too ???
WTF..??!
The stupidity by people Deeply Involved at the center of this is Deafening !
Good Lord People !
This is the kind of s* for brains that are running things in way too many places now.
This won't end well.
PS - businesses - big ones, have been Running out of california for a good while now. That has no affect on libtards - they triple down on stupid just for breakfast.
Kid - Way back when we were issued .357 revolvers (Colt Trooper Mk III) I used to carry speed loaders. With a bit of practice you could be back in business in a few seconds. Still got 'em as a matter of fact.
Sig, speed loads, exactly, and even if some female teacher, or male for that matter got close enough while you were in between firing, a knock on the head with the barrel would keep them from being an immediate threat to stopping you.
Or how about a military knife for those close quarter situations.
Sorry man, can't get over the unbelievable stupidity here.
If it were the idiots in san francisco it would be one thing, but it's the parents of the kids who are being sent off to these shooting galleries who think nonsense like this has any value.
Good Lord.
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